John S. Baird
3/31/2014
John S. Baird, 95, a life-long resident of Warwick died on March 31, 2014 at his home on Sanfordville Road in Warwick. He had been ill with pulmonary fibrosis for the past few years.
The youngest son of Adalyn Lorraine Ackerman and Nathaniel Wheeler Baird, Mr. Baird was born at the family home in Warwick on December 7, 1918. He was descended from the founding families of Warwick, the fifth generation from Francis and Esther Eagles Baird, owners and operators of the historic Warwick landmark, The Baird’s Tavern. He graduated from Warwick High School in 1936 and from Rutgers University in 1941, where he majored in business and was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. Mr. Baird served in the U.S. Army during World War II as a medical technician, being recalled to the family farm after his father’s illness.
Mr. Baird ran the family’s dairy farm, Berrydale, and later worked for the U.S. Postal Service as a rural letter carrier for 39 years, retiring in 1981. He then enjoyed several years as an enumerator for the New York State Agricultural Statistics Service.
He was a deacon in the Reformed Church, served on the Warwick Town Board of Appeals, was a founding coach and manager of the Warwick Little League, and an assistant Boy Scout leader, spending several summers at Lake Wawayanda scout camp. Mr. Baird was a charter member of the Warwick Valley Country Club and an avid golfer; shooting his age at 89. He enjoyed traveling to famous golf courses, including the “Old Course” at St. Andrews in Scotland.
In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his wife of 45 years, Thelma Thorsen (1989), his granddaughter, Dana Lorraine VanDerBeek (1976), and his three brothers: Nathaniel Ackerman, George William, and Denton. He is survived by his three children: John Jr. (Marsha) of Bloomsburg, PA, Marcia VanDerBeek (William) of Essex, CT, and Judith Gleason (Robert) of Warwick, along with his longtime companion Marion Elston Stage, with whom he shared so many good times. He had five grandchildren: Matthew, Kevin, and Jeffrey Baird, Lauren and Erin Gleason, and five great grandchildren: Aislyn, Nico, Audrey, Isaac and Aiden.
The family extends its gratitude to Drs. Joseph Grizzanti and Dennis Scharfenberger, Hospice of Orange & Sullivan Counties, and the staff at Mid-Hudson Managed Home Care.
Services will be under the direction of the Lazear-Smith & Vander Plaat Memorial Home in Warwick. A Celebration of Life will be held at the Warwick Valley Country Club on Sunday, April 13, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. Cremation and graveside services will be at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Warwick Ambulance Corps, P.O. Box 1, Warwick, N.Y 10990 and Hospice of Orange and Sullivan Counties, 800 Stony Brook Lane, Newburgh, N.Y. 12550 .
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